Page 73 of The Mastermind

“What?” The warmth disappeared from his eyes, replaced by arctic blue. “When? Where? What time? I want all the details.”

I told him everything, including the friendly couple who had helped me.

Remi took my palms and kissed them. I hadn’t expected him to do that. From what I had observed over the years, he didn’t seem affectionate. To the outside world, he was a shrewd, arrogant, and private man. To me, he was warm, attentive, and loving. Beneath the arctic and mysterious façade was a man with many facets and substance. Like a deep well you had to look in to know it wasn’t just empty and cold but had life and depth. I felt lucky to see this side of him.

“It’s probably teenagers. The shopping center was packed today.”

“Maybe,” he said casually as he filled a plate of food for me. “Eat, and you’ll feel better. I don’t want this incident to ruin the rest of our mini vacation. You’re not going shopping by yourself anymore. I’ll go with you.”

“I might take a verylongtime to shop. I don’t want to drag you along for something so mundane.”

“I don’t mind.” He sat across from me and filled his plate.

“It could take thewholeday. You’ll get bored.”

“Fine.” He stabbed a meatball.

“Andallnight.”

“You’ll just have to repay me in bed.” He arched an arrogant eyebrow. “Taking on a bodyguard position requires extra fees.”

I wouldn’t torture him like that, but his playful comments told me he enjoyed my company.

What kind of relationship did I have with Remi? Though we had been intimate, we had never discussed the relationship. Was this a temporary thing for him? Would things end when he had to return to New York City?

Alice said her relationship ended when she wanted more than just sex. Would Remi want to end things with me if I wanted more? I never imagined myself being involved with anyone just for sex. It was too difficult to shut off my heart and emotions, and why would I want to?

I had to know now.

“I briefed Grayson about us. If he asks more questions, whatshould we tell him? What exactly are we?” I asked, placing down my fork and sipping from my water bottle.

Dabbing his mouth with the napkin, he got up and took my hand. “Now that we’re both done eating, I want to go out and sit in the daybed that you love so much. We can chat out there.”

“I want to sleep out here tonight.” I shifted some pillows to make room for him. “We can stargaze.”

“Sure.” He leaned back on the pillows and tucked an arm behind his head while the other dropped over my shoulders.

Was he trying to distract me with the night sky so I’d forget about my question?

I snuggled into him, my head resting on the crook of his neck. He had his eyes closed, but tense lines dug into his forehead. Was he still angry about my accident? Or was he still stressed about whatever took him away from me today? I still had to ask him about that.

Right now, I had another pressing issue that needed to be resolved. “What are we, Remi? Friends with benefits? Sex partners? Non-exclusive casual lovers?” With my finger, I scribbled random circles on his T-shirt.

He flipped his eyes open and met my gaze. “You’re mine, Audri. We are exclusive. Period.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” I wasn’t trying to be difficult. “Exclusive . . . what?”

“You’re mygirlfriend.” Smiling, he tapped my nose with his finger. “You’re my woman, my secret agent.”

“Then you’remyboyfriend, my man, my sex toy.” I wiggled my eyebrows, and he laughed, then my expression turned serious. “It goes both ways, ‘the exclusivity’ thing. That’s the only way this will work between us, okay?”

In a swift move, Remi was on top of me. His arousal pressed into me, and his lips brushed mine. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“No,” I muttered. “What part are you referring to?”

His arousal rubbed against me. I was already wet. His hands shoved down my pants. “No panties tonight?”

“You requested I save them, didn’t you?” I nipped his bottom lip.

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